Tiberias
Summary
Tiberias was a city built by Herod Antipas on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, named in honor of the emperor Tiberius, and still giving its name to the lake.
☩Founding and Character
Herod Antipas built Tiberias around AD 22, naming it in honor of the emperor Tiberius. The city was constructed on an ancient burial ground, which made it ceremonially unclean according to Jewish law, and Herod had difficulty finding Jewish settlers. He ultimately populated it with a mixed company of poor people, foreigners, and those not quite free, attracted by promises of good houses and land. With its stadium, palace adorned with animal figures, and Greek customs, Tiberias was essentially a Roman city, offensive to strict Jews.
☩Jesus and Tiberias
Remarkably, the Gospels give no indication that Jesus ever visited Tiberias, though He spent much of His ministry around the Sea of Galilee. This may be explained by the Gentile character of the city and the presence of Herod Antipas, the murderer of John the Baptist, whose cunning and sanguinary character Jesus knew well. Herod never saw Jesus until they met at Jerusalem just before the crucifixion. Jesus chose instead to focus His ministry on the Plain of Gennesaret at the head of the lake, where the population was thoroughly Jewish.
☩Later Importance
After Jerusalem's fall, the Sanhedrin eventually settled at Tiberias around the mid-second century, making it the chief center of Jewish learning. The Mishna was compiled there by Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi around AD 190. The Masoretic traditions that preserved the Hebrew text and pronunciation of the Old Testament largely originated there. Today the lake is called 'Sea of Tiberias' (Bahr Tubarieh) by local inhabitants, following the usage found in John's Gospel.
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Tiberias," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Tiberias," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Tiberias," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).